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Flanagan Survives Four-Man Playoff

RICHMOND, Va. -- Nick Flanagan needed three playoff holes to earn his first Nationwide Tour win Sunday at the Henrico County Open.

Flanagan, the 2003 U.S. Amateur champion, birdied the third extra hole to defeat Chris Baryla for the title. Roland Thatcher and Bryn Parry had been eliminated on the first two extra holes.

Flanagan carded a 2-under 70 in the final round to finish at 13-under-par 275. Baryla, Parry's playing partner, matched that 70, while the final pairing of Parry and Thatcher each carded final-round 71s to force the extra session.

Back at the 18th for the third playoff hole, Baryla found a greenside bunker with this second shot. Flanagan's second bounced just over the green into the rough.

Baryla blasted out to 4 feet, then Flanagan chipped within a foot. Baryla's birdie putt never touched the hole as he pulled it left. He tapped in for par then stepped aside as Flanagan tapped in for birdie and his first tour title.

'That's about the longest half-foot putt I've ever had,' joked Flanagan, who picked up $81,000 for the win. 'I hit the ball well all week, didn't putt too great, but got away with it. I'm very, very happy.'

At the 18th in regulation, Thatcher had the best chance to win, but two-putted for par from 18 feet out. The other three all got up and down for par to head into the playoff at The Dominion Club.

Parry was the lone player to miss the fairway off the tee at the 18th, the first playoff hole. He laid up, then knocked his third to about 50 feet. The other three players all found the short grass of the tee and putting surface with their second shots to the par-5.

Baryla played his third after Parry and Thatcher. Baryla knocked his eagle effort within a foot and tapped in for birdie to eliminate Parry, who left himself 7 feet for par. Thatcher and Flanagan safely two-putted for birdie to extend the playoff.

'I'm disappointed I didn't have a go at it there at 18,' admitted Parry. 'The lie was iffy and seeing how this turned out I wish I had a go at it.'

At the par-3 ninth, Thatcher left himself over 50 feet for birdie before Flanagan pulled his tee ball into the left rough and Baryla knocked his tee ball to 45 feet.

Thatcher hit a poor first putt leaving himself 10 feet for par and he missed that to drop out of the playoff. Flanagan pitched within a foot and tapped in for par, while Baryla two-putted for his par.

Then the former U.S. Amateur champion hoisted the trophy.

The playoff could have been even bigger as Chris Smith (68), Greg Chalmers (69) and Brad Elder (70) shared fifth place at 12-under-par 276.

Flanagan had an up-and-down front nine, where he carded four birdies and three bogeys. He birdied 14 and 15 to grab the lead at 14-under, but bogeyed 16 to get in at 13 under.

Baryla posted three birdies and a bogey on the front nine to turn in 13 under. The Canadian birdied 12, but gave that shot back at 13. Baryla bogeyed 15, but rebounded with a birdie at 16 to join Flanagan in the house at minus-13.

Parry birdied the second, as did Thatcher, to remain tied for the lead at 13 under. Parry flew out in front with three straight birdies from the fourth to pull four strokes clear of the field.

However, Parry three-putted for bogey at seven. He got that stroke back with a birdie on nine, but bogeyed the next and found more trouble at 11. Parry's tee shot came up short in the water. He hit the green with his third, but two-putted for double-bogey. Parry parred the final seven holes to gain entry into the playoff.

'I did hit a good shot there,' said Parry of his approach at 11. 'I guess I was hitting it so good I was hedging my bets that I could hit it close and I probably didn't need to. I hit a good shot and I'm going to have to live with that.'

Thatcher faltered to a bogey on seven to slide back to 12 under. He grabbed a piece of the lead with a birdie on 12, but fell one back as he bogeyed 15. Thatcher regained a piece of the lead and eventually a spot in the playoff thanks to a 25-foot birdie putt at 16.

Nicholas Thompson, winner at the HSBC New Zealand PGA Championship, and Livermore Valley Wine Championship winner Omar Uresti ended in a tie for eighth at 10-under-par 278. They were joined there by Rick Price and David Sanchez. Five more players were one stroke further back at minus-9.

On the strength of his Western Am title, Hammer, 18, has soared to No. 18 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. He credited his work with swing coach Cameron McCormick and mental coach Bob Rotella.

“Just really started controlling my iron shots really well,” said Hammer, who has worked with McCormick since 2015, when he qualified for the U.S. Open at Chambers Bay as a 15-year-old.

“Distance control with my wedges and all my iron shots, playing different shots, has become really a strength in my game. I’ve really turned the putter on this year, and I’m seeing the lines and matching the line with the speed really well. I think that’s been the key to my summer.”

A two-time New Zealand Amateur champion, Hillier is ranked 27th in the world. He said that, entering the tournament, he would have been pleased just to make it to match play.

“But to come out on top, it’s amazing,” Hillier said. “Cole is a really good golfer and has been playing well lately. So, yeah, I’m in good company.”

Faldo: Woods told fellow Masters champ 'I'm done' in '17

Fresh off his runner-up finish at the PGA Championship, it's easy to get caught up in the recent success and ebullient optimism surrounding Tiger Woods. But it was not that long ago that Woods even hitting another competitive shot was very much in doubt.

Six-time major champ Sir Nick Faldo shed light on those darker times during a recent appearance on the Dan Patrick Show when he relayed a story from the 2017 Masters champions' dinner. The annual meal is one of golf's most exclusive fraternities, as only the chairman of Augusta National Golf Club is allowed to dine with the men who have each donned a green jacket.

Last spring Woods had not yet undergone spinal fusion surgery, and Faldo explained that Woods at one point turned to an unnamed Masters champ and grimly assessed his future playing chances.

"I know he whispered to another Masters champion, two Masters dinners ago, 'I'm done. I won't play golf again,'" Faldo said. "He said, 'I'm done. I'm done, my back is done.' He was in agony. He was in pain. His leg, the pain down his legs, there was nothing enjoyable. He couldn't move. If you watched footage of him, he couldn't even get in and out of the golf cart at the (2016) Ryder Cup when he was a vice captain."

But Woods opted for fusion surgery a few weeks later, and after a lengthy rehab process he returned to competition in December. His 2018 campaign has been nothing short of remarkable, with a pair of runner-up finishes to go along with a T-6 result at The Open when he held the outright lead on the back nine on Sunday.

After apparently even counting himself out, Woods is back up to 26th in the latest world rankings and appears in line to be added as a captain's pick for the Ryder Cup next month.

"What he's been able to do is unbelievable," Faldo said. "To turn this aruond, to get this spine fusion, it's completely taken away the pain. To have this mobility is absolutely amazing. Great on him, and great for golf."

McDowell needs Wyndham result to maintain status

For the first time in nearly three years, Graeme McDowell heads into an event with his PGA Tour status hanging in the balance.

The Ulsterman joined the Tour in 2006, and he has had nearly uninterrupted status since winning the 2010 U.S. Open. But McDowell's two-season exemption for winning the 2015 OHL Classic at Mayakoba only extends through this week, where he will start the Wyndham Championship at No. 143 in the season-long points race.

McDowell tied for fifth at Sedgefield Country Club in 2016, and he will likely need a similar result to crack the top 125 in the standings and retain his fully exempt status for the 2019 season. While he finished T-10 in Las Vegas in November, that remains his lone top-10 finish of the Tour season. The veteran's best results this year have come in Europe, where he tied for fifth at the Italian Open and finished T-12 at the BMW PGA Championship.

"I'm trying not to put too much pressure on myself. I feel like it's not a do-or-die scenario for me," McDowell told reporters earlier this month at the Barracuda Championship. "I feel if I was 25 years old without a European Tour card to fall back on, it would be a do-or-die scenario. Certainly trying to put the pressure off, if I don't get myself into the top 125 it's not the end of the world for me. I still feel like I can play a great schedule next season."

By finishing Nos. 126-150 in points after this week, McDowell would retain conditional status that would likely ensure him at least 12-15 starts next season. He would also still have privileges as a past tournament champion.

But he's not the only winner from the 2015-16 season whose two-year exemption is on the verge of running out. Fabian Gomez (160th), Peter Malnati (164th) and Billy Hurley III (202nd) all need big results in Greensboro to keep their cards, while Shane Lowry, David Lingmerth and Matt Every all earned three-year exemptions for victories in 2015 but currently sit Nos. 139, 140 and 184 in points, respectively.

Last year four players moved into the top 125 thanks to strong play at Wyndham, with the biggest jump coming from Rory Sabbatini, who went from No. 148 to No. 122 after tying for fourth place.

Vogel Monday qualifies for eighth time this season

The PGA Tour's regular season ended with another tally for the Monday King.

While Monday qualifiers are a notoriously difficult puzzle to solve, with dozens of decorated professionals vying for no more than four spots in a given tournament field, T.J. Vogel has turned them into his personal playground this season. That trend continued this week when he earned a spot into the season-ending Wyndham Championship, shooting a 5-under 66 and surviving a 4-for-3 playoff for the final spots.

It marks Vogel's eighth successful Monday qualification this season, extending the unofficial record he set when he earned start No. 7 last month at The Greenbrier. Patrick Reed earned the nickname "Mr. Monday" when he successfully qualified six different times during the 2012 season before securing full-time status.

There have been 24 different Monday qualifiers throughout the season, with Vogel impressively turning 19 qualifier starts into eight tournament appearances.

Vogel started the year with only conditional Web.com Tour status, and explained at the AT&T Byron Nelson in May that he devised his summer schedule based on his belief that it's easier to Monday qualify for a PGA Tour event than a Web.com tournament.

"The courses that the PGA Tour sets the qualifiers up, they're more difficult and sometimes they're not a full field whereas the Web, since there's no pre-qualifier, you have two full fields for six spots each and the courses aren't as tough," Vogel said. "So I feel like if you take a look at the numbers, a lot of the Web qualifiers you have to shoot 8-under."

Vogel has made three cuts in his previous seven starts this year, topping out with a T-16 finish at the Valspar Championship in March. The 27-year-old also played the weekend at the Nelson and the Wells Fargo Championship, missing the cut at The Greenbrier in addition to the RSM Classic, Honda Classic and FedEx St. Jude Classic.

While Vogel won't have another Monday qualifier opportunity until October, he has a chance to secure some 2019 status this week in Greensboro. His 51 non-member FedExCup points would currently slot him 205th in the season-long race, 13 points behind Rod Pampling at No. 200. If Vogel earns enough points to reach the equivalent of No. 200 after this week, he'd clinch a spot in the upcoming Web.com Tour Finals where he would have a chance to compete for a full PGA Tour card for the 2018-19 season.